The present invention relates generally to a heat pipe assembly, and more particularly to a heat pipe assembly having a flattened portion that is composed of vertically and horizontally arranged working fluid channels.
There are innumerable heat transfer elements or devices currently available in the commercial market. Among them, heat pipe assemblies are often adapted for satisfying the cooling and heat transfer needs. The basic structure of a heat pipe assembly includes a pipe body and a wick structure attached to the inner surface of the pipe body. The heat from the heat source is then transferred to a working fluid via the capillary phenomena of the wick structure. The working fluid is then vaporized. The working fluid vapor is afterwards condensed into liquid state and returned to the heat point. By performing such a continuous thermal circle of absorbing and dissipating heat, one can achieve the cooling purpose by using the heat pipe assembly.
However, the state-of-the-art wick structure employs a metallic web or soldering powders as the media for guiding the flow of the working fluid. When the wick structure is made of metallic web, there is insufficient self-support so as to be attached to the inner surface of the pipe body. In particular, the wick structure adjacent the flattened portion is easily disengaged or dismantled when the heat pipe assembly needs to be flattened in order to increase the contact surface area with the cooling element or the heat source, thereby obstructing the flow of the working fluid. For this reason, a supporting member is often disposed in the heat pipe assembly after the heat pipe assembly is flattened. However, the shape of the supporting member is often very complicated. In addition, the supporting member can not be disposed before the heat pipe assembly is flattened. Therefore, an independent manufacturing process is required, which renders the fabrication costly and disadvantageous for mass production.
In light of the above, the inventor of the present invention has developed a new heat pipe so as to solve the problems set forth above.